You’re a dog owner? There’s an app for that

KITCHENER — Ally Baker rolled three passions into a single app — people, dogs and technology.

Baker is the founder and chief executive officer of Furevery, a startup that she aims to build into a nationwide community of dog lovers.

Through an app and social media, Baker wants to help dog owners find vets, patios that allow dogs, workplaces where dogs are welcome, groomers, leash-free parks, social events for dogs and their owners, dog walkers, pet shops, rescue organizations, training classes for dogs and owners, and informal group walks.

The app is available for downloading from www.furevery.com at no cost to users, and at @furevery and @fureveryapp. Baker is collecting feedback from users before tweaking the app and rolling out a provincewide version in early 2018 and across Canada in mid-2018.

She lists her dog Fogo, a boxer-German shepherd cross, as co-founder. Baker and her husband adopted Fogo as a rescue dog about three years ago, naming her after the island off Newfoundland.

"She is the inspiration for why I started Furevery," says Baker.

"Because when we got her, as new dog parents, we really didn't know where to go to find the best services, vets and groomers, and we also didn't know where to go to socialize her, to find those pet-friendly community events."

Currently, the app is focused on Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph. The plan is to make money through advertising and partnerships with dog-related businesses. Users can fill out a quick questionnaire about the app and what might be done to improve it.

"I wanted to create this community network for dog parents to be able to find and rate dog services, but also to be able to unite with each other, be able to see and learn from other dog parents, and get their input on places to go and showcase dog-friendly events," says Baker.

After graduating from Western with a degree in political science, Baker worked at D2L (formerly Desire2Learn) and then Vidyard — high-profile tech firms in the downtown Kitchener. She loved it and learned lots. Working in sales, she was inspired by the founders at each company and the spirit of shared purpose. She left Vidyard in June 2016 to launch Furevery.

"I really wanted to find my passion project, and something I could put 100 per cent of my heart into," Baker says. "Basically, what I decided to do was combine technology, my love of people and my love of dogs together in one platform. So that's how Furevery was born."

After enrolling in the Velocity program in downtown Kitchener about a year ago, she validated the market for the app and wrote a business plan. One of the toughest challenges was hiring a software developer on a contract to write the code for it.

Some of the firms Baker contacted said it would cost $50,000 to $100,000 to build the app. She found a developer, who she says later left the country with some of her money before delivering the product.

After interviewing developers around the world, including in India and Singapore, Baker found everything she needed at a Cambridge company called Waxworks Creative, which is a 10-minute drive from her home.

"I think I was trying to look for something that was reasonably priced, but still someone with experience," says Baker. "I found that to be a challenge."

You’re a dog owner? There’s an app for that

KITCHENER — Ally Baker rolled three passions into a single app — people, dogs and technology.

Baker is the founder and chief executive officer of Furevery, a startup that she aims to build into a nationwide community of dog lovers.

Through an app and social media, Baker wants to help dog owners find vets, patios that allow dogs, workplaces where dogs are welcome, groomers, leash-free parks, social events for dogs and their owners, dog walkers, pet shops, rescue organizations, training classes for dogs and owners, and informal group walks.

The app is available for downloading from www.furevery.com at no cost to users, and at @furevery and @fureveryapp. Baker is collecting feedback from users before tweaking the app and rolling out a provincewide version in early 2018 and across Canada in mid-2018.

She lists her dog Fogo, a boxer-German shepherd cross, as co-founder. Baker and her husband adopted Fogo as a rescue dog about three years ago, naming her after the island off Newfoundland.

"She is the inspiration for why I started Furevery," says Baker.

"Because when we got her, as new dog parents, we really didn't know where to go to find the best services, vets and groomers, and we also didn't know where to go to socialize her, to find those pet-friendly community events."

Currently, the app is focused on Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph. The plan is to make money through advertising and partnerships with dog-related businesses. Users can fill out a quick questionnaire about the app and what might be done to improve it.

"I wanted to create this community network for dog parents to be able to find and rate dog services, but also to be able to unite with each other, be able to see and learn from other dog parents, and get their input on places to go and showcase dog-friendly events," says Baker.

After graduating from Western with a degree in political science, Baker worked at D2L (formerly Desire2Learn) and then Vidyard — high-profile tech firms in the downtown Kitchener. She loved it and learned lots. Working in sales, she was inspired by the founders at each company and the spirit of shared purpose. She left Vidyard in June 2016 to launch Furevery.

"I really wanted to find my passion project, and something I could put 100 per cent of my heart into," Baker says. "Basically, what I decided to do was combine technology, my love of people and my love of dogs together in one platform. So that's how Furevery was born."

After enrolling in the Velocity program in downtown Kitchener about a year ago, she validated the market for the app and wrote a business plan. One of the toughest challenges was hiring a software developer on a contract to write the code for it.

Some of the firms Baker contacted said it would cost $50,000 to $100,000 to build the app. She found a developer, who she says later left the country with some of her money before delivering the product.

After interviewing developers around the world, including in India and Singapore, Baker found everything she needed at a Cambridge company called Waxworks Creative, which is a 10-minute drive from her home.

"I think I was trying to look for something that was reasonably priced, but still someone with experience," says Baker. "I found that to be a challenge."

Top Stories

You’re a dog owner? There’s an app for that

KITCHENER — Ally Baker rolled three passions into a single app — people, dogs and technology.

Baker is the founder and chief executive officer of Furevery, a startup that she aims to build into a nationwide community of dog lovers.

Through an app and social media, Baker wants to help dog owners find vets, patios that allow dogs, workplaces where dogs are welcome, groomers, leash-free parks, social events for dogs and their owners, dog walkers, pet shops, rescue organizations, training classes for dogs and owners, and informal group walks.

The app is available for downloading from www.furevery.com at no cost to users, and at @furevery and @fureveryapp. Baker is collecting feedback from users before tweaking the app and rolling out a provincewide version in early 2018 and across Canada in mid-2018.

She lists her dog Fogo, a boxer-German shepherd cross, as co-founder. Baker and her husband adopted Fogo as a rescue dog about three years ago, naming her after the island off Newfoundland.

"She is the inspiration for why I started Furevery," says Baker.

"Because when we got her, as new dog parents, we really didn't know where to go to find the best services, vets and groomers, and we also didn't know where to go to socialize her, to find those pet-friendly community events."

Currently, the app is focused on Kitchener, Waterloo, Cambridge and Guelph. The plan is to make money through advertising and partnerships with dog-related businesses. Users can fill out a quick questionnaire about the app and what might be done to improve it.

"I wanted to create this community network for dog parents to be able to find and rate dog services, but also to be able to unite with each other, be able to see and learn from other dog parents, and get their input on places to go and showcase dog-friendly events," says Baker.

After graduating from Western with a degree in political science, Baker worked at D2L (formerly Desire2Learn) and then Vidyard — high-profile tech firms in the downtown Kitchener. She loved it and learned lots. Working in sales, she was inspired by the founders at each company and the spirit of shared purpose. She left Vidyard in June 2016 to launch Furevery.

"I really wanted to find my passion project, and something I could put 100 per cent of my heart into," Baker says. "Basically, what I decided to do was combine technology, my love of people and my love of dogs together in one platform. So that's how Furevery was born."

After enrolling in the Velocity program in downtown Kitchener about a year ago, she validated the market for the app and wrote a business plan. One of the toughest challenges was hiring a software developer on a contract to write the code for it.

Some of the firms Baker contacted said it would cost $50,000 to $100,000 to build the app. She found a developer, who she says later left the country with some of her money before delivering the product.

After interviewing developers around the world, including in India and Singapore, Baker found everything she needed at a Cambridge company called Waxworks Creative, which is a 10-minute drive from her home.

"I think I was trying to look for something that was reasonably priced, but still someone with experience," says Baker. "I found that to be a challenge."